The Thing to Do…

This is fairly simple and straight forward. When traveling make sure to go shopping for food in a foreign country.

Materials and Methods…

First, I understand not everyone gets a chance to get out of their country. But if you know you’re about to go on a trip go to your own grocery store and make some quick notes (mental or otherwise) about the stuff your family normal buys and eats, and how much it costs.

Second, take an hour out of your trip to go to a foreign grocery store. Wander the aisles. Look at what kind of things are for sale. (Discretely) look at what other shoppers are buying. And try and find some of your favorites from back home — or at least their equivalents wherever you are traveling.

(Parents want to know) The Reason to Do It…

I’m a big believer in the idea that we flex our critical thinking muscles by exposing ourselves to new ideas. And I think one of the most basic assumptions most of us both get and don’t get is food. We all know at some level that food is different in different places, but you never really get that until you walk into place where food is sold in its most basic form — a grocery store, market, whatever — when you are away from home. To you everything will be familiar, but chances are you will not recognize brands or flavours. Produce might be different. Drinks and snacks vary widely from country to country. And I would argue that there are few better — and more fundamental — learning experiences when kids are abroad than taking them outside their comfort zone with respect to things to eat.

The Results…

Chances are you’ll get a good meal. If you’re like me you’ll discover a new taste that isn’t available back home and spend hours online trying to find some way to have a case shipped across the ocean. Budget accordingly.

But more on that in a later post.

Some of my best parenting-related material will no doubt come from the simple fact that we left The Girl with her grandparents and scooted on out of the country for five days. She’s not quite two, as you may already know, and only vaguely understood the fact that we were leaving.

However, I prefer not to think of it as “ditching the kid” for a trip to Las Vegas, but rather as an opportunity to contribute to my child’s independence. And as coincidental as it likely is, and back for less than twenty-four hours, I’ve already noted a curious change in her. Let me start this way: I write another blog, a personal blog, a collection of words and thoughts about my other hobbies — running, writing, gardening — and frustrations. I also have a very different audience, specifically relatives and personal friends, who read that blog. And in a post geared at the grandparents (mostly) and just idly marking some of The Girl’s neat-o milestones for later reference, I wrote out something of a smallish collection of anecdotal observations about her little behaviors. It’s a parenting thing. But just a few days ago, one day before we left on a vacation without her, one of my points was this:

[She's] yet to understand the logic behind self-referencing pronouns. Words like “I” and “me” are not yet in [The Girl's] vocabulary. I’m not sure if this is normal, but whatever. She still gets her point across by directing ideas around other people; “side you” means I want to sit/stand/lay beside you. “self” means I’ll do it myself. And so on. You get the point.

Now, for whatever the reason, we got home last night and one of the first things I noticed was how much her speech had changed in those five days. And a big part of that was her use of the words “me” and “you” in — not just a few — but a lot of what she was saying. Is this because we left the country without her? Is this a milestone in independence? It’s early Monday morning and I just got back from vacation so I’m not in the mood to research it much more — though, of course, just of the top of my head I can come up with a couple other explanations for this change: (1) maybe the grandparents spoke differently with here and converse in a subtle way that we’re not doing, (2) maybe she was just on the verge of that and (as suddenly as she had begun walking, say) she just clicked into that mode and we missed the transition, or (3) perhaps her exposure to a swath of new and different people and (especially) new kids whilst on the show-off-our-granddaughter-tour with my in-laws was what she needed to pick up those extra words.

But it does strike me as very curious — though in a I’m-very-cautious-to-link-it kind of way — that the little exercise in independence we completed by leaving her alone for the better part of a week had, in fact and in observation, bridged the two states of her language. Not caused it. Don’t read me wrong. Bridged it as much as a mysterious black box of change wherein she emerged on the other side using self-referencing pronouns for the first time in her little life. Curious.

Coincidence? Yeah. Probably. But I’m okay with that, too.

The Thing to Do…

This is fairly simple and straight forward. When traveling make sure to go shopping for food in a foreign country.

Materials and Methods…

First, I understand not everyone gets a chance to get out of their country. But if you know you’re about to go on a trip go to your own grocery store and make some quick notes (mental or otherwise) about the stuff your family normal buys and eats, and how much it costs.

Second, take an hour out of your trip to go to a foreign grocery store. Wander the aisles. Look at what kind of things are for sale. (Discretely) look at what other shoppers are buying. And try and find some of your favorites from back home — or at least their equivalents wherever you are traveling.

(Parents want to know) The Reason to Do It…

I’m a big believer in the idea that we flex our critical thinking muscles by exposing ourselves to new ideas. And I think one of the most basic assumptions most of us both get and don’t get is food. We all know at some level that food is different in different places, but you never really get that until you walk into place where food is sold in its most basic form — a grocery store, market, whatever — when you are away from home. To you everything will be familiar, but chances are you will not recognize brands or flavours. Produce might be different. Drinks and snacks vary widely from country to country. And I would argue that there are few better — and more fundamental — learning experiences when kids are abroad than taking them outside their comfort zone with respect to things to eat.

The Results…

Chances are you’ll get a good meal. If you’re like me you’ll discover a new taste that isn’t available back home and spend hours online trying to find some way to have a case shipped across the ocean. Budget accordingly.

0372) It seems to me that exercise and fitness are not rational things. By this I mostly mean that they are seemingly rational solutions to completely irrational problems. Why do we create such imbalances between our lives and our bodies that we need to allocate units of time, energy, and resources to try to correct those imbalances?

0002) It seems to me that many the Skeptics and other critical thinkers I’ve met are generally disappointed at the lack of credible evidence for paranormal, magical, alien, or the otherwise inexplicable phenomena of the world. These are not people who turn up their noses at the thought of such things. Instead, many Skeptics — while far too logical to accept what they’ve seen on the evidence they’ve been given — seem anxious to witness something altogether awesome and simultaneously provable.

0811) It seems to me that true democracy, while still one of the best systems we as a society have devised to date, remains something of an exercise in irrational political risk, at least so much as the individual is concerned. True, the alternatives offer little better in that respect. But it is something of a gamble, after all, to suppose that the will of the many will always represent the best interest of the many.

0572) It seems to me that there is a lot of literature, both fiction and fact, devoted to telling the story of otherwise peaceful folks driven to violence through logic and stepwise rational decisions.

Your turn… altercate, argue, bounce off, canvass, compare notes, confabulate, confer, consider, consult with, contend, contest, converse, debate, deliberate, descant, discept, discourse about, discuss, dispute, examine, exchange views on, explain, figure, get together, go into, groupthink, hash over, hold forth, jaw, kick about, knock around, moot, reason about, review, sift, take up, thrash out, toss around and/or otherwise weigh in in the comments below.

A thousand skeptical delegates converging on Vegas this July, surely some skeptical parents will be among them. Do you run a parenting blog and have already posted on this? Are you an avid reader of skeptical parenting or science-based education blogs and are wondering where we can all connect — kid-free — whilst sweltering in the heat of Nevada in July? My wife and I will be there while The Girl camps out with her grandparents back home. And while there’s no hope of anything official — not this year, at least — I’m starting to think an unofficial gathering might be in order.

Anyone in? Thoughts? Comment below!

I’ve often quietly scolded myself for being fairly inept at languages. I mean, I have a reasonably high proficiency in English due to thirty-odd years of reading, writing, and speaking it. But over the years I’ve stumbled through a number of focused efforts to learn a second language, namely French and German, but sit here today without the ability to do much more than count to ten, introduce myself, and order a beer in either. Both efforts to lean a second language have involved numerous formal (textbooks, school, and evening courses) and informal (travel, websites, multimedia, and broadcasts) attempts to build vocabulary and grammar. But at the end of the day my proficiency will never match that of a native tongue.

Now, as my young daughter babbles away in what numerous bits of research and wisdom tell us is the early stages of language development, the world-traveler, practical parent in me has been pondering the value of multi-linguistic lessons even this early in the game. But then, given the above admission of language ineptitude by yours truly, a number of questions (and thus options) are left hanging in the air…

1) Is there value in learning a second (third, fourth…) language from a child’s perspective? And what language?

Living in a multicultural community as we do, a number of our close friends come from backgrounds that are rich with histories of recent immigration. Grandparents speak multiple languages and the kids are therefore exposed to a direct opportunity to speak and interact with a native-tongued family member. But for us, for example, who can offer no such opportunity the question becomes one of practicality and worldliness (in as much as that is a concrete concept.) In twenty years when the girl is out seeking a career or what-have-you in the real world, will skills in a second language pay dividends to not only her employability but to her ability to interact with a diverse world? It is tough to argue against that logic — and in my own experience, language skills are only getting more valuable all the time. But do I offer her development in the official second language of her mother-nation, French? Do I dabble a little in her extended background and teach her bits of Dutch or German? Do I anticipate the changing world economy and seek out some kind of Mandarin Chinese instruction? Or perhaps I could prepare her for a world of scientific inquiry and supplement her with a vocabulary of Latin? Problem is, I don’t speak any of these…

2) So, what role can a parent play in that learning, particularly if the parent is not a native speaker of the language?

As I’m in the position myself and the only answer that comes to mind is this: …a photocopy of a photocopy of a photocopy of a photocopy of a photocopy… I don’t think there is much a DIRECT role.

In other words, I don’t consider myself a teacher of language to anyone. But then, am I student. And where do I and my kids turn to for language lessons? TV?

3) What role can television and media play in a parent’s language development?

When I was trying to learn German my (then working abroad) cousin directed me towards a small collection of websites that provided media intended for students of the language. On these sites, audio and video was provided as a means to ‘immerse’ oneself in the language from the comfort of home. I could likely write a consumer report on the value of this and the countless other free and commercially available resources claiming to assist in building language skills in the avid learner. I am no ideal student of languages (I’ve come to that conclusion) but if the “proof is in the pudding” as is sometimes said, I have my doubts as to how effective media (and media in isolation) can be in building language skills in anyone.

4) What role, then, can television and media play in a child’s language development?

We were watching the sanitized wonder of the 24-hour children’s programming network, Treehouse TV, and we happened upon a show called Ni Hao, Kai-Lan that, I will freely admit, was the impetus behind this entry. Skepdad’s twenty-word summary: animated girl explores her backyard with animal friends while throwing in a bit of casual Mandarin Chinese vocabulary where applicable. In other words, this particular program represents just one of a (I’m certain) swath of ‘educational kids programming’ with a deliberate nod to contributing to language development in its audience. Growing up in Canada I personally was exposed to this kind of television in the form of shows such as Sesame Street that, in its Canadian incarnation was lightly supplemented with French language vocabulary. I don’t think it hurts to supplement television with this kind of programming — and again, I’m no example of an ideal language student myself — but I still don’t speak French. And no matter how much Ni Hao, Kai-Lan the girl watches, I doubt she’ll be conversing in Mandarin any time soon.

So, now what? It seems from this simple assessment that (a) a second language training would be an asset, but (b) there is no easy way to accomplish that — a problem that seems almost particularly North American. Thoughts?

That was two weeks ago.

And in that time, my readers — few and scattered as you are — may have noticed that there has been a vacancy in my own presence here. I’m sorry about that. I’ve been thinking.

I’ve made no bones about the fact that I’ve toed the metaphorical line of my purpose here, dabbled in a number of formats and functions trying to find a place for my writing as a skeptical parent. And I’d be lying if I claimed that I knew with any certainty what that purpose actually is. I stepped into this role, rented a little scrap of web-turf, pitched a tent, hung out my shingle, and have been distributing my own brand of lost musings on the topic of skeptical fatherhood with no more than a vague sense of direction and the feeling that there was a hole in the dijk and someone ought to stick his finger in it before all our feet got really wet.

Early on, I found myself plucking some topic of personal interest from the air, reading hours upon hours of primary and secondary literature on the topic, penning some tangible impressions on the topic from a lay-perspective, and inviting commentary. That was skep/dad’s role, I told myself. That is where the “leak” is happening. But a few articles into that purpose, my appetite for a idle commentary of that particular sort grew stale; I’ve felt the impression that I’m not (as a spectator and a busy parent) in much of a position to analyze these complex topics with any real depth.

Later, I dabbled in the abstractions of definition: what is skepticism, what is critical thought, and why bother? This seemed important — it still does — but one can’t help feel that there is a limit on how far one can go whilst studying one’s own navel.

What became apparent as the months have worn onward is that my explorations as “the skep/dad” had opened a channel of curious exploration that had originally seemed not much more than a few (again with the metaphor!) spotty leaks in the dijk, but more and more proves to be a general and fundamental weakness of the same. Since, I have struggled to find some kind of focus, wrapping my observations on parenting (literature, marketing, myths, and fears) around a skeptical framework and a philosophical approach to fatherhood. And every new investigation opens a dozen more in the telling.

So I take a deep breath and soldier on. But I’ve only got so many fingers.

But I’m still not so sure I’ve figured out where I fit. If you count, in the last few months I’ve written about forty articles on an eclectic collection of topics and enjoy a rich bounty of visitors from around the world, Googling for a variety of inquiries. But there is something of a trap in a project such as this one, particularly for the author: credibility as a rational thinker hinges on the accuracy of every syllable I write. And a novella’s worth of text viewed by thousands of people can be a weighty responsibility.

You might understand now why I seem to think I may have attempted the impossible here. And why, as I mentioned that random parenting book I pulled from the shelf of an unfamiliar bookstore while on vacation has got me to thinking about what I can really accomplish in a space like this. I realize I’ve likely drawn readers down a ill-lit path here, perhaps even coming across as though I was throwing in the towel. But I’m not. I think I might be evolving, and these long-winded explanations are nothing more than fair warning about the realities of blog-stability. I spent that few short minutes flipping through that book and it struck me (kappow!) that my purpose here can easily become so many things. I could attempt a kind of pseudo-journalism, flail along a path of scientific meta-analysis, stroll casually and muse poetically on the op-ed-ish angle of modern parenting, or I could reflect anecdotally on the life of one poor fool trying to raise his kids against the grain of his own entrenched societal pressures.

There is so much work. And I’m gonna need to focus. So I hope you can all spare a little patience while I think about this, that’s all.

In fact, it just so happens I asked myself this as I was looking a little more deeply into the education value of optical illusions. Oddly enough, many of the people who have been stumbling onto this site so far are folks looking for my listing of optical illusions sites. The point I made in that particular article is simply that I think optical illusions are a great way of ‘tricking the mind’ (so to speak) and that kids, while loving to be fooled, also pick up the other message that the brain can, indeed, be fooled.

I think they teach us that things are not always what they seem and that our eyes can deceive us — and regularly do.

That question brought me to wonder if anyone else had come to a similar conclusion. And, a very quick web search later, I discovered an article titled Critical Thinking and the Use of Optical Illusions ^[1] by James M. Hoefler. Unfortunately the full article does not seem to be available online so I will need to do some digging around an academic library somewhere to have a look. But the first page was posted in which he outlined a three part definition of critical thought.

In my first take at trying to better understand and define the question ‘What exactly is critical thought?’ I figured I would dissect Hoefler’s serendipitously discovered statement. It follows below:

“Critical thinking typically connotes an appreciation for the various approaches to understanding that differing intellectual perspectives provide, both within and across disciplines.” ^[1]

Unlike logical reasoning which has a basis in induction and deduction of facts from evidence, I think Hoefler is in his first point suggesting that critical thought is founded in that elusive ability to hold two conflicting ideas in one’s head. I call this thinking in shades of gray, in that nothing is ‘black and white’ and rather that a good count of the number of unique perspectives could be found by choosing a number much higher than the interested population. That is to say, everyone has a different perspective and some people likely have multiple perspectives. True or not, understanding that one’s own opinion is not necessarily the exclusive opinion is a good place to start. As dads, there are likely many examples that could be used to subtly (or even overtly) emphasize this to our kids, but I think perhaps that this is managed best through the use of reflective and questioning observations over value-based judgments, as the need arises.

“Critical thinking usually involves increasing one’s sensitivity to culturally and sociologically based differences.” ^[1]

As with the first part of this definition, not only are intellectual perspectives different, but the framework around those perspectives vary widely. Parents could perhaps build this so-called ‘sensitivity’ through discussions with children about differences in perspectives, but I think this is best served as a lesson from travel. One aspect of ‘culture shock’ is of course a lack of awareness or appreciation of differences (both moral and aesthetic) from one city or country to the next. My advice here is to get out of the house — get out of the city — get out of the country, and take your kids along. There is no better way to impress this point upon anyone, young or old. Failing that, arts and cultural fairs and exhibits are a darn good replacement.

Critical thinking challenges people “to identify and reconsider some of their basic, usually unacknowledged assumptions about the way the world should — and does — work.” ^[1]

I’ve been struggling with this third part of Hoefler’s definition. It is not that I disagree — quite the opposite — but while the first two parts are more accurately classed as awareness of one’s own perspective, this is something akin to a form of analysis and practice. I honestly don’t know how one would go about teaching such a skill other than by practical study and patient, reflective thought — the benefits of which only seem available to those who are open to that kind of exploration. I suppose as a father if you have built up your kid’s awareness of their own personal perspectives and rational outlooks, finding exercises that challenge them to make use of those foundations will lead to this kind of further challenging of assumptions. For myself this has been a very slow, tedious, personal journey with many obstacles to overcome. This blog, in fact, part of my own effort to confront and conquer some personal “unacknowledged assumptions” and if I may add, a difficult but rewarding quest. But to teach it? I think that is a question at the very root of this blog, and not to be answered in a simple statement like this one here.

Hoefler concludes his definition with a summary that presents a challenge to skeptical, science-minded, rational-thinking dads everywhere: Critical thinking is “not easy to foster” in kids, he says. I’ll add that it doesn’t mean it’s not worth the effort.

[1] James M. Hoefler (1994) Critical Thinking and the Use of Optical Illusions , Political Science and Politics, Vol. 27, No. 3 (Sep., 1994), pp. 538-545